Los Ángeles Azules is a band that transports — and connects. Its achingly romantic cumbias were born in Mexico City’s barrios but have come to transcend class and geography, booming at both block parties and extravagant weddings from California to Argentina. The longing melodies, layered over the trancelike scraping of the guacharaca, carry an undeniable magic — a synchronicity of sound and feeling that flows naturally when six brothers and sisters have been making music together for four decades.
Antonio Romero, 42, center, of Raleigh, N.C., originally from Mexico City, and his wife, Nancy Oseguerra, 40, right, came with a group of 22 friends in a rented party bus.
The Mexican band Los Ángeles Azules has been making music for four decades, winning fans worldwide.
Guest artist Domingo Johnny Vega Urzua, a Chilean singer, performs with Los Ángeles Azules in Greensboro, N.C. He is commonly known as Américo.
Jose Hilario Mejia Avante, left, one of six siblings of the group Los Ángeles Azules, plays the drums in Greensboro, N.C. Guadalupe Mejia Avante, right, plays a guache during a show in Estero, Fla. Six siblings, four brothers and two sisters, make up the core members of the band.
Fans dance in the walkways as Los Ángeles Azules performs in Estero, Fla. The crowd rarely sits during a show.
Fans cheer while the group performs in Duluth, Ga.
Fernando Zamora, 18, center, of Cape Coral, Fla., and Abigail Senneca, 17, right, buy merchandise at the end of the show in Estero, Fla.
Jorge Mejia Avante, center, and his brother Alfredo Mejia Avante, right, board a plane at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Enrique Clavijo, a musician with the band for 37 years, warms up his trombone before performing in Greensboro, N.C.
At left, Ivan Rodriguez, left, Edwin Ordonez and Arturo Morgado get ready backstage in Duluth, Ga. At right, Irving Sanchez, Edwin Ordonez and Ivan Rodriguez play ping pong backstage in Estero, Fla.
Jorge Mejia Avante, center, stands next to Edwin Ordonez, left, and closes his eyes while performing in Estero, Fla.
A fan, left, takes a video of Los Ángeles Azules while they perform in Estero, Fla. Fernando Zamora, 18, right, sings along with the cumbia group at the same concert.
Elías Mejia Avante points to the audience at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in N.C.
Kenneth Dawson of Fayetteville, Ark., dances with his wife, Adriana Dawson, as Los Ángeles Azules perform at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Ga.
- Lucy Garcia, 60, of Cape Coral, Fla., celebrates her birthday on a live video stream as she waits in line before a Los Ángeles Azules show in Estero, Fla. Read the story at https://lat.ms/3nvhl5B
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